The galaxy is at war and all hope lie in the hands of the Jedi, in particular ‘Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’. Of course, you know that is not entirely true as most people know that Star Wars 3 is about the downfall of the Jedi and how Anakin turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader. As an official licensed game of the film, one can only hope that LucasArts have created a hit that will be a big as the actual film. Being such a huge fan of the films, I decided to play this game after watching Star Wars III, so that the game wouldn’t spoil my viewing by revealing key plotlines and footage taken directly from the movie. The game not only follows the film closely but in some cases expands the scenes which have been cut from the film during the concept stage of filming.

Gameplay:

The whole game is played in a third person view in which you get to control either Anakin or Obi-Wan. Both characters can use the Force in various devastating moves and are able to perform all Jedi abilities but whereas Obi-Wan would use the Force to control enemy actions and focus on the power of the light side, Anakin gradually shifts to the dark side of the Force allowing players to create shockwaves, crush and burn enemies and Sith Lightning.

There are over 16 levels across four of the movie worlds including the planet Coruscant, Utapau and the volcano world of Mustafar to battle through with various Jedi Masters & Sith Lords to defeat. There are numerous attack and defensive manoeuvres available to perform with your lightsabre, resulting in some spectacular combinations. Unfortunately this is where the game becomes mundane and dare I say it – boring. The controls are pretty straight forward with one button for weak attacks, another button for strong attacks, one for jump and another to use the force but instead the game itself lacks depth because each battle is the same but in a different environment. Wave after wave of battle droids in all shapes and sizes will attack and once they have finished you move onto the next area where exactly the same thing happens again. If that wasn’t enough to annoy you, the combo attacks are very good but if you bashed the button too many times, you leave yourself open to an attack with no way of cancelling out the manoeuvre and switching to a defensive posture. Another criticism is the A.I., in my opinion and from the enemy’s point of view, if I was going to attack two jedi, I would attack them all at once, not stand around watching my comrades get hacked up one by one. Once you have completed the entire level you are presented with your stats on how many kills, which in turn are then converted into points for you to spend on upgrading certain force abilities. Also finishing a level within a certain standard will unlock extra features for you to view back at the main menu.

Graphics:

The environments are of excellent quality and detail with interactive objects that can be used and destroyed whilst accessing the Force. The character models are perfect with superb animation incorporating dynamic visual effects. The melding between Episode III film footage and where you take control of the characters is brilliant. In fact the last time I saw such detail in the melding was in the game LOTR: The Return of the King.

Sound:

If there is one thing you can rely on when it comes to a Star Wars game, is the sound. Authentic sound effects come directly from Skywalker Sounds, with the complete musical score from the film.

Longevity:

An average gamer could probably finish this game within 5hrs, which isn’t much in gaming terms nowadays. There is a co-op mode available but this is mode is even more boring than the single player game with just you and a friend fighting wave after wave of droids in one area. Once completed, there isn’t anything outstanding to entice you to play it again as you can view all the movies via the main menu.

Round Up:

As far as I’m concerned, this game is well worthy of a rent but not enough to purchase and you would be better off playing Star Wars Lego for a more enjoyable time. It’s another film license gone to waste.

Pros:

• Star Wars
  
• Excellent graphics and animation
  
• Over 12 minutes of Episode III film footage.
  

  Cons:
  

  • Too quick to finish
    
  • Button bashing to the extreme.
    
  • No variations in battle.